HC Deb 12 June 1834 vol 24 cc402-8
Mr. Wallace

had to bring under the notice of the House, a subject which he should not at present have introduced, were it not from the peculiar situation in which the matter stood. He alluded to the propriety of putting the office of Postmaster-general under the management of a Board of Commissioners. This course had been strongly recommended by the reports of no less than three different Commissions of Inquiry, and he was satisfied it would not only be beneficial to the public service, but also a measure of very great economy. By the office being put in Commission, a saving and increase of revenue would be effected, amounting together to not less than 200,000l. or 300,0001. per annum; and he therefore would entreat the Government to make the experiment. Without having regard to the actual outlay, he hesitated not to say, that three efficient Commissioners could be found to discharge the duties for the salary which had hitherto been paid to the Postmaster-general, and thus would be secured the services of three men of business, instead of one Peer of Parliament, whose duties to his country in the other branch of the Legislature must materially interfere with that close attention which was necessary in the head of so important a department as the Post-office establishment. He felt it his duty also to state, that, in the office of Postmaster-general, there was not only a fearful responsibility, but also vested a most unconstitutional power with immense patronage. That officer had the appointment of every person within the range of the Post-office establishment in England, Ireland, Scotland, and the colonies. That patronage had been, and might again be, made use of for political purposes, and thus produce an effect upon the representation of every city, town, and district in the realm. The extent of patronage in England alone was immense, as would appear from the circumstance, that the Postmaster-general had the appointment of not less than 1,500 postmasters, besides all the subordinate servants employed by each. By placing the office in the hands of three Commissioners—the chief with a salary of 1,000l. per annum, and the other two 800l. each, an effectual benefit and advantage would ensue to this branch of the public service, and many of those blots and evils would be removed to which, on an early day, he should feel it his duty in his place more particularly to advert. He could not avoid expressing his gratification at, and bearing his testimony to, the able conduct of the noble Duke who had recently seceded from the office of Postmaster-general, with regard to the communication with France. He must join also in thanking that noble Duke for the free transmission of the literary productions of this country, and for that free intercourse which assisted in the extension of its literary knowledge over the whole of Europe, and especially that most important branch of literature, political knowledge. For these advantages the country was indebted to the exertions and good feeling of the late Postmaster-general, whose conduct, when lately in communication with the Post-office Department in France, he had ascertained to have been of the most conciliatory nature Having found it to be his duty to wait personally on Dr. Bowring, one of the authors of the report just put into circulation, on the commercial relations with France, including Post-office arrangements of course, and who had just returned from that country, that Gentleman had assured him of the Duke of Richmond having been no less liberal and generous in the late great achievement than the individuals representing the French Post-office. The hon. Member concluded by moving, "that an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he will be graciously pleased to place the office of Postmaster-general under the management of a Board of Commissioners, as had been strongly recommended from time to time in the reports made by three Commissions appointed to inquire into and report on the management of the Post-office."

Mr. Hume

seconded the Motion. His hon. friend had forgotten to state a very important reason why the Postmaster-general should not be a political man, but which had been mentioned by the Commissioners. In consequence of the Postmaster-general being a political agent, he was changed with every Administration, and the result was, that the management of the department was left in the hands of the Secretary. This had been the case for the last thirty-five years. He did not wish to say anything harsh of the individual who held the office of Secretary, and he admitted that, during the time that Sir F. Freeling had held that office, he had assiduously attended to and faithfully discharged his public duties. It was impossible, however, for any one to doubt, who had read the Reports on the Table, that there was no department of Government in which fewer improvements had been made during the last fifteen years than in the Post-office. He did not allude to the last three or four years, in which time there certainly had been made many desirable changes. If, however, the Post-office had been under the management of Commissioners instead of a Postmaster-general, he had no doubt that a very different state of things would exist there from what obtained at present. Had proper attention been paid, the present inequality of postage, which caused so many complaints, would not exist. Why not manage the Post-office as the Excise, Customs, and Stamps, namely, have Commissioners, who should be directed to communicate with one of the Lords of the Treasury in cases of emergency? He perhaps carried his notions on the subject further than most persons, and thought that the Post-office should not be made a source of revenue in a well-regulated country, but merely the means of imparting information. In the United States, a letter could be sent 2,000 miles for very nearly the same sum that was charged for a letter brought from St. Alban's to London. In a country like England, with its excellent roads and other facilities of communication, the charge for postage should be comparatively little. At the present moment his Majesty's Government had the opportunity of making this desirable change which the interests of the country called for. He did not so much regard whether three individuals, or one individual only, was appointed, as that care should be taken, that ample time was devoted to the business of the office, and that no person having control in the department should be mixed up in politics. He was sure, if the change which he had suggested was adopted, that the revenue would be increased, the inequality in the charge for postage would be removed; and, above all, that a great reduction would be made in the charge for postage. He would also recommend, that the laws relative to the Post-office should be consolidated, as they were almost unintelligible at present.

Mr. Vernon Smith

admitted, that one strong reason had been urged for the present Motion, and in which he was sure that the whole country would concur, namely, the extreme difficulty that there would be in finding a person to discharge the duties of the office of Postmaster general so efficiently as they had been performed by the noble Duke who recently filled that office. The candid and manly manner in which that noble Duke treated all those who were called upon to transact business with him, had been a source of general gratification. During the short period of his own public life he never recollected a person with whom he had been called upon to transact business who exhibited more anxiety to perform the duties of his office to the satisfaction of the country, or who had better succeeded in attaining that object. To speak, however, on the question before the House, the hon. Gentleman could not imagine that the House could agree to the present Motion. The hon. Gentleman had stated that, if reference was made to the Reports of the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, it would be found that they all concurred in the views he entertained on the subject. He must deny, that the Reports bore such an inference. He would, however, examine the advantages which both the hon. Members said would be derived from a change. In the first place, it had been contended, that the Postmaster-general should not be a political officer. The hon. Member, however, had complained on a former occasion, that the Post-office was not directly represented in Parliament. If this were to be done, it was absolutely necessary that the head of it should be in Parliament. With reference, however, to the appointment of Commissioners, it was unnecessary for him to take up much time. All men who had been engaged in business must know, that authority in certain cases must emanate from an individual; and, if a Board of Commissioners were appointed, either the Chief Commissioner or the Secretary must, in certain cases, have a controlling voice. This was the case in the Excise, Customs, and Stamps,—in all which Boards the Chairman decided on important occasions. This was also the case at the Board of Treasury; at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or, in his absence, the Secretary of the Treasury, had the greater influence. It was not only desirable, but absolutely necessary, that such a controlling power should exist. Again, the question of economy could be much better gone into when the document for which the hon. Member had moved was laid on the Table, as it would tend greatly to elucidate the subject. The hon. Gentleman said, that the adoption of the change he proposed would lead to a saving of between 200,000l. and 300,000l. How this was to be effected he had yet to learn; and he was sure that his noble friend (Lord Althorp) would fee] very glad to lay his hands on such a sum. The hon. Gentleman seemed to assume, that it was much better to intrust a Board with patronage than an individual. That was also a mistake; and he was sure the House would concur with him in thinking, that it was much better, that the patronage should be placed under the control of one individual, responsible to Parliament, than under three or four persons, who might easily shuffle the responsibility of their official patronage from one to the other. He was anxious that the discussion as to the advantages of a Board of Commissioners should be postponed to a future occasion, when they would have the advantage of the attend- ance of his right hon. friend, the Secretary for the Colonies, who, he was happy to inform the House, had just been returned for Cambridge. The hon. member for Greenock appeared to entertain very peculiar notions on the subject of patronage: indeed, he (Mr. Smith) believed, that the hon. Member formerly thought that the Members of Parliament should have the patronage of all places in the boroughs they represented. The hon. Gentleman contended, that the head of the Post-office should be a political officer, inasmuch as the duties to be performed by him were, for the most part, of a political nature. The admission, for instance, of foreign newspapers into every part of the country was a political act; and, therefore, he hoped the House would not consent to place that department under the management of a Board, instead of leaving it, as at present, in the hands of a political officer. It was utterly impossible that any Board could regulate the patronage or administer the affairs of the Post-office as efficiently as a single individual, and upon that ground he called upon the House to reject this Motion.

Mr. Wallace,

in reply, said he had not, when he brought his Motion forward, the least expectation that it would be successful; and, therefore, it was not his intention to put the House to the trouble of a division. The reforms which he desired to see effected in this establishment must ultimately be carried; and, although he failed now in the object which he had in view, he should not therefore desist from doing all in his power to accomplish it. He thought, that there was no necessity whatever for having the management of the Post-office placed in the hands of a political officer; and it was his opinion, that the affairs of that department would be best administered if the head of it resided on the spot, and had no other duties to attend to. He agreed, however, with the hon. Gentleman who had just sat down as to the necessity of having one responsible public person at the head of every Board or department; and, if the office of Postmaster-general could only be filled by a Peer of the realm, then he was bound to say, that he should be very glad indeed to see the noble Duke, who had retired from that office, restored to it.

Lord Althorp

said, that no one could possibly be more constant or unremitting in his attention to the duties of his office than his noble friend the Duke of Richmond had been; and, if his successor should be fortunate enough to discharge the duties of the office with equal efficiency, not only the hon. Member, but every other Member of that House, must be perfectly satisfied with him. Of course, a great deal of patronage attached to the office of Postmaster-general, but, in the distribution of that patronage, his noble friend had never once lost sight of the principles of justice and economy. His noble friend was the person who had effected such a considerable saving in the retired allowances of Post-office clerks. By appointing these clerks to be postmasters in country towns as vacancies occurred, he not only did the individuals themselves a great service, but saved the public the burthen of their pensions. It was not the fault of his noble friend that arrangements were not made for the free transmission of pamphlets and newspapers through the medium of the Post-office. Such an arrangement had long been under his noble friend's consideration, and the reason why it was not carried into effect was, because the expense it would occasion would be much greater than any advantages which could result from it.

Motion withdrawn.